Spiral spacer cigarette catcher



Jan. 23, 1968 J R ET AL SPIRAL SPACER CIGARETTE CATCHER 5 Sheets-5heet 1 Filed Oct. 12, 1966 w s vw w MM A wd 2004;, 6: wad.

Jan. 23, 1968 M RRS ET AL 3,365,046

SPIRAL SPACER CIGARETTE CATCHER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 12, 1966 JAMES .5. M02275 ATTO Z/VEVS Jan. 23, 1968 J. E. MORRIS ET AL SPIRAL SPACER CIGARETTE CATCHER I 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct 12, 1966 United States Patent 3,365,046 SPIRAL SPACER CIGARETTE CATCHER James E. Morris and Julius Szalrsz, Richmond, Va., as-

signors to The Molins Organisation Limited, London, England, a corporation of Great Britain Filed Oct. 12, 1966, Ser. No. 586,236 16 Claims. (Cl. 19825) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for catching elongated rods including a pair of in-line helical worms disposed at an angle to 618,011 other and with the rods being received by the groove of the first in-line worm and then directed by the same into the second in-line worm. The rods are retarded and stopped by frictional resistance caused by positive pressure contact with said grooves which rotate in opposite directions. The worms may be adjustably supported with respect to the feed table which provides the pressure contact, and suction means may be provided in the first in-line worm to cause the rod to properly engage the second in-line worm.

The present invention relates to the manufacture of cigarette and filter rods and, more particularly, relates to means for and methods of receiving elongated rods traveling axially along a feed path and positioning said rods sidewise in a row for collection.

Today, the universal method for making cigarettes and filters for attaching to the cigarettes is the continuous rod method wherein the cigarette or filter rod is first fabricated in a machine as a continuous rod, which is then cut into predetermined lengths as the rod is fed continuously from the output end of the machine. The machines 'for performing this openation have been developed to a point where their speed of operation is far in excess of the speed envisioned just a few years ago. -In fact, the efficiency of these machines is at a point where the making of the continuous rod could be accelerated even further except for the fact that heretofore there has not been an apparatus or method capable of receiving the individual elongated rods in an orderly manner from the machine and collecting the same for the required additional operations.

One catcher device which was origin-ally designed for the older and slower machines is shown in the patent to Gwinn 2,109,148 issued Feb. 22, 1938. Generally, this prior art device has proven to be capable of adequately handling rods in the present machines, however it has been proven to have limitations in terms of speed, and also in terms of handling the rods without adversely affecting the smooth surfaces of the finished product.

Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide an improved catcher device and related method for receiving and collecting elongated rods at an increased speed and efiiciency.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a catcher device and related method particularly adapted for receiving elongated rods from a continuous rod machine or the like and for positioning said rods in a row transversely to said feed path without marring the cylindrical surface of the rod and without damaging the ends of the rod, thereby improving the overall quality of the product being handled.

According to certain aspects of the present invention, -a catcher for elongated rods is provided which utilizes a pair of in-line helical worms or spiral drums that are positioned so as to intersect the output feed path of a continuous rod machine. Advantageously, the operative portions of the grooves of these worms serve to retard Patented Jan. 23, 1968 "ice and stop the axial movement of the rod along the feed path and simultaneously said grooves move said rods laterally from and parallel to said path to form a row wherein said rods are placed in side-by-side relationship.

To briefly explain, the spiral drums of the device of the invention are disposed at an angle to each other and extend transversely to the feed path such that the operative portions of the drums are lying in the plane of said path and are parallel thereto; the first in-line drum being aligned to first receive the rod and then, controllably direct the rod into engagement with the second in-line drum. In accordance With the invention, the pitch of the drums are oppositely directed and the drums are rotated in opposite directions at substantially equal speeds, whereby the axial movement of the rod is retarded and stopped by the frictional forces exerted on the rod by the worms, and said rod is at the same time moved laterally from and panallel to the path for collection.

With this arrangement, it is emphasized that the rods are capable of being automatically centered by the oppositely rotating drums without imparting diverse end- Wise feeding movement to the rods and without the use of any stops to limit the endwise movement of the rods, as in the prior art Gwinn patent mentioned above. To accomplish this end, the mechanism is adjusted so that the momentum of the rods along the feed path carries each rod to a centered position in simultaneous engagement with both spiral drums, whereupon the rod is maintained in this centered position during its continued transverse movement away from the feed path by the spiral grooves of the drums. The equal but oppositely directed sliding action on the rod afforded by the rotating drums has proven to be of particular advantage in stopping the rods in a centered position in that the coeificient of sliding friction and thus these frictional forces remain substantially constant and accurately predictable for each successive rod, even though the rods may vary slightly in certain physical characteristics.

In the preferred embodiment of the apparatus illustrated for the purpose of describing the invention, the rotary drums are disposed above a feed table, which defines the feed path of the rods. Both the surface of the feed table and the rotating surface of the spiral drums are highly polished to give the necessary sliding relationship between the rods and the engaging surfaces as just described.

Other important features of the apparatus of the present invention concern the adaptablity to use with any length rod by merely increasing or decreasing the speed of rotation of the drums and, further the ease with which adjustments can be effected to perform a rapid catching operation with little or no error in centering. In regard to the latter, simple means is provided to vary the relative distance between the operative portions of the spiral drums and the feed table, which urges the rods into engagement with said operative portions of said drums. This adjustment is useful for setting the desired stopping action of the drums since the frictional forces operating on the rod are directly proportional to pressure with which the rod is held between the drums and said feed table. Further, suction means may be provided along an intermediate section of the spiral grooves of one of the in-line drurn members to further vary the frictional forces acting on the rod. That is, by adjustment of the amount of suction along this section of the spiral drum, the frictional forces acting on the rod can be varied to a fine point thereby virtually insuring the perfect alignment of the ends of the adjacent rods without the use of any form of end guides. Finally, the drums can be adjusted in unison about a central pivot point whereby the rods may be fed on a surface at any angle with respect to the horizontal.

In accordance with carrying out the method of the present invention, the elongated rods are directed endwise in succession between a pair of smooth surfaces, one of the surfaces being moved in a first direction parallel to said path; the rods are directed in succession between a second pair of smooth surfaces while still in engagement with said first pair of surfaces, one of the second pair of smooth surfaces being moved at the same speed as said first moving surface but in the opposite direction; said pairs of surfaces serving to retard and stop the axial movement of said rods, said rods being moved transversely away from the path while maintaining the same between said pairs of surfaces and said rods being concurrently centered in a row for collection. It will be realized that with the use of this method a minimum amount of endwise movement of the rods is required thereby increasing the speed and efiiciency of the operation, and furthermore, that the method requires the rods to be operated upon in a minimum number of steps thereby minimizing any chance for damage to the product.

Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a catcher mechanism and method for operating on elongated rods wherein controlled stopping and sidewise alignment for collection is obtained at a rapid rate without causing damage to the rod.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an elongated rod catcher which utilizes only two oppositely rotating spiral drums to retard and stop the axial movement of the rods and to position said rods in sideby-side relationship transversely of the feed path.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a catcher of the type described which is capable of efficiently handling rods within the normal range of length, that is, from 60 to 120 millimeters, as well as any other length of rod.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that can be easily and quickly adjusted to handle batches of rods having diverse physical characteristics.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an apparatus of the type described that can receive elongated rods traveling axially along a path at any given speed and position said rods in a centered position transversely of said path for collection.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for operating on elongated rod units which requires the use of no abutting shoulders or rigid stops to properly center the rods along the collecting conveyor thereby preventing damage to ends of the rods.

It is still an additional object of the present invention to provide a catcher of the type described which has interchangeable parts so as to be easily adapted to right or left hand use.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an elongated rod catcher utilizing a pair of spiral drums wherein the pitch angle of the grooves of said drum, the angle between the axes of the drum, and the taper angle of the frustoconical drums are made equal to a given angle, such as It is another object of the present invention to provide a catcher utilizing a pair of spiral frustoconical drums positioned at an angle to each other above a feed table defining an axial feed path for elongated rods, the remote sides of the drums being parallel whereby positive and controlled lateral movement of said rods away from said feed path is afforded by the operative portions of the drains acting at relatively widely spaced points along the ro It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for catching elongated rods requiring a minimum number of steps to insure proper positioning of the rods along a centerline for collection.

Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description, wherein we have shown and described only the preferred embodiment of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by us of carrying out our invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modification in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an overall perspective view of a catcher device constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention and mounted in a suitable environment for use;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the device shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side view in cross-section taken along line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a rear view of the device showing the preferred drive system of the present invention;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view of the first in-line spiral drum taken along line 55 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view of the second inline drum taken along line 6-6 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURES 7a and 7b are schematic diagrams of the variation in the operative portions of the drums when shorter rods are operated on.

With reference now in particular to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, it will be remembered that the device of the present invention is particularly adapted for use in combination with a continuous cigarette or filter rod making machine, which are conventional and well known in the art, and for the purpose of illustrating the present invention, there is shown a vertical plate 10, a horizontal feed table 11 of such a machine, which parts may be of course be different, depending upon the type of machine which is being used. In any case, it need only be understood that elongated rods R of any predetermined length are issued along the feed table 11 in an axial row through any form of suitable guide means 12. In the usual case, the rods R have just been operated on by the conventional flying knife and are or may be spaced by a slight gap g due to the normal forward driving force of said knife as it completes the cutting operation, As is well known in the art, the rods R are ready at this point for the receiving and collecting operation, with which the present invention is concerned, whereby the rods R are placed in an orderly fashion in side-by-side relationship on a conveyor 13 to be carried to a tray or the like (not shown) for transporting to other machines to complete the manufacturing process.

For purposes of illustration, the rods R can be considered to be moving along the table 11 in an axial feed path, as depicted by the arrow P in FIGURES 1 and 2. In the same figures, as will become more evident upon consideration of the description of the operation of the catcher C that follows later, the succession of rods R through the catcher C is depicted; rod R proceeding along the feed path P under its own momentum or otherwise into engagement with a first in-line spiral drum or worm, generally designated by the reference numeral 15; rod R being embraced by said first in-line drum 15, thus representing the initiation of the retardation of the axial movement and the start of transverse movement away from the feed path P; rod R moving in a controlled fashion under the influence of the drum 15 into operative engagement with an intermediate portion of a second inline drum or worm, generally represented by the reference numeral 20; rod R finally stopping in the centered position; and rod R completing the transverse movement away from the path P while idling with respect to the same path P in the axial direction.

In the embodiment illustrated, the spiral drum 15 is double threaded so that it has a pair of spirally directed grooves 16, 17 and corresponding lead portions L L spaced 180 apart (note FIGURES 2 and 3) formed in the outer surface thereof, and said spiral drum 15 is preferably of a constant pitch so that the distance between the grooves is equal. The second in-line spiral drum member 20, which is also double threaded and constantly pitched so as to have two independent spirally directed and equally spaced grooves 21, 22 with corresponding lead portions L L which grooves 21, 22 also act on the rods R during the catching operation. In this respect, it should be noted that the selection of double threaded, constantly pitched drum members 15, 20 is merely for the purposes of showing an operative embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention and therefore the drum members 15, 20 could be of the single threaded design or variably pitched, if desired. It has been found however that the double pitch design is generally preferable since the feed rate per rotation is thereby doubled and since the rods R are more rapidly removed from the feed path P, thus insuring no physical interference between the trailing end of the first rod, designated by R in FIG- URES 1 and 2, as it is being engaged by the catcher C, and the leading end of the following rod R If the pitch of the drums 15, 20 is desired to be varied along the length thereof to increase or decrease the rate of transverse movement away from the feed path, the change in pitch must be the same for both to maintain the preferred parallel collecting arrangement shown in these figures.

As best illustrated in FIGURE 2, the spiral drums or worms 15, 20 are oppositely threaded, that is, the lefthand drum 15 is threaded in the left-handed direction and the right-hand drum 20 is threaded in the right-handed direction with the pitch of the grooves of said drums 15, 20 being equal. Further, the axes of said drums 15, 20 are positioned at an angle to each other, as indicated by the reference indicia a in this figure, and they are positioned at equal angles b with respect to the perpendicular to said feed path P; which angle b must be equal to the actual pitch of the grooves 16, 17, 21, 22 in order for the operative portions of said grooves adjacent the table 11 to be parallel to said feed path P for proper reception of the rods R, as shown in FIGURE 3.

The catcher device C, shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, has a selected angle a between the drums 15, 20 of 15 and selected angles b and a corresponding actual pitch angle of the grooves 16, 17, 21, 22 of 7' /2 thus rendering an effective pitch angle of 15 with respect to the feed path P (angle b plus actual pitch angle); it being understood that another set of angles could be selected if desired, as long as the conditions mentioned are met. Further, the spiral drums 15, 20 are desirably frustoconical in shape as shown, with an included taper angle of 15 being selected in the given case thereby rendering the remote sides of the drums 15, 28 parallel, as shown in FIGURE 2. This construction has the advantage of making the catcher device C more compact and causes said rods R to be acted upon at two relatively spaced and substantially fixed points along the length thereof whereby a positive and controlled lateral move ment of said rods R onto the conveyor 13 is gained.

In order to properly position the spiral drums 15, 20 above the feed table 11 at a proper distance d (see FIG- URE 3) substantially equal to the thickness of said rods R, there is provided a mounting assembly 24 including a suspended stock member 25 having bearing insert elements 26, 27 which serve to rotatably journal the outer drive shafts 28, 29, respectively, as can best be seen in FIGURE 2. The stock member 25 has an upwardly extending portion 30 which is pivotally connected to the vertical yoke 31, which in turn, is attached to the front face of vertical plate as an integral part of the mounting assembly 24; the upwardly extending portion 30 being held between the arms of the yoke 31 by a horizontally extending bolt 32 and associated nut 33 (see FIGURE 1). The bolt 32 also carries a pair of upstanding auxiliary supports 34, 35, which are associated with the spiral drums 1'5, 20, as will be described in detail later. After assembly, it will be realized that a rigid locking together of the stock member 25 that carries the drums 15, 20 and the supports 34, 35 is gained by tightening the nut 33 on the bolt 32, whereby the angular'position of the drums 15, 20 with respect to the horizontal may 'be fixed as desired.

Positioned in opposed relationship to the yoke 31 on the back of the plate 10 is a face plate 37 (FIGURES 3 and 4), and to this is attached a bifurcated mounting plate 38. As shown in FIGURE 3, the face plate 37 and the mounting plate 38 are securely clamped to the vertical plate 10 of the machine by a suitable mounting bolt 39, which extends through an elongated slot 41 in said vertical plate 10 to threadedly engage the yoke 31. For the purpose of adjusting the vertical position of the mounting assembly 24, there is provided a suitable jack screw 41 or the like; fixedly held by an outwardly extending ear 42 on the ve tical plate It) and threadedly engaging a similar outwardly extending ear 43 on the face plate 37. Upon loosening of the mounting bolt 39, the mounting assembly 24 and thus the drums 15, 20 can be simultaneously adjusted in a vertical direction to gain the proper adjusted distance d for the required pressure contact of the rods R between the drums 15, 2t) and the table 11.

The driving power for the spiral drums 15, 20 is gained through the driven sprockets 45, 46 and associated inner drive shafts 47, 48, respectively (note FIGURE 4), which are mounted between the face plate 37 and the bifurcated mounting plate 38 (see FIGURE 3). As can be seen by viewing FIGURE 2, these inner drive shafts 47, 48 are, in turn, connected to the outer drive shafts 28, 29 by a pair of universal joints 49, 50, respectively.

It will be remembered that the spiral drums 15, 20 are to be rotated in opposite directions at the same speed whereby to give equal but opposite and slipping endwise driving action on the rods R, as they are moved laterally from the path P. With reference to FIGURE 4, there is shown one preferred drive for accomplishing this end, which consists of a driven chain 55 that passes over the drive sprocket 45 and under the drive sprocket 46 so as to rotate the same in opposite directions, a pair of idler sprockets 56, 57 and a main drive sprocket 58, which is or may be attached to and properly driven by a part of the mechanism of the particular manufacturing machine with which the catcher C of the present invention is associated. It will be noted that the idler sprocket 57 is carried by an adjustable pivot arm 59, whereby the tension in the chain 55 can be regulated and so that the tension can be temporarily released to change the sprockets 45, 46 as desired, to increase or decrease the speed of the spiral drums 15, 29 to accommodate machines of different speeds and different lengths of rods R, as will be explained later.

The specific structure for mounting the spiral drums 15, 29 on the outer drive shafts 28, 29 is of importance and can be viewed in FIGURES 5, 6, respectively. From viewing these figures, it will be realized that the outer drive shafts 28, 29 are identical and that like reference numerals have been used to indicate like parts for ease of description. Particularly, the drums 15, 21B are each formed with a central hollow chamber 60 and the drive shafts 28, 29 each comprise in addition to head portions 28a, 29a, which are connected to the universal joints 49, 50, a multishouldered stub shaft 61 extending into said chamber 60, said shaft 61 having threaded portions on each end, and an integral reduced portion 62 at the terminal end thereof. As shown, each stub shaft 61 is held by a double roller bearing 63 in the insert elements 26, 27 with the inner race of the bearing 63 being held between the head portions 28a, 29a and a radially extending collar 64. On the opposite face of the collar 64, the end of the spiral drums 15, 20 is abutted in driving relationship by the nut 65.

At the reduced end 62 of the drive shafts 28, 29 are interchangeable but diverse stationary core elements 7%), 71, respectively, which elements 79, 71 mount a pair of roller bearings 72 to allow the shafts 23, 29 to rotate freely with respect thereto. The core element 70 is held in its fixed position by a hollow pipe 73 and tubular header 74, the latter being attached to the end of said core element 70 by a suitable spanner ring and groove fastener 75. As shown in FIGURE 1, the pipe 73 is securely clamped in a stationary position by the upstanding bifurcated clamp 34 so that the end result is that the reduced end 62 of the outer drive shaft 28 is rigidly held against.

flexure whereby the parallel distance a between the grooves 16, 17 of the drum 15 are maintained parallel to the table 11 during the operation of the catcher device C of the present invention.

Similarly, the stationary core element 71 is for the purpose of maintaining the outer drive shaft 29 in a fixed relationship to the feed table 11 even when the rods R are held in embracing relationship between the grooves 21, 22 and said table 11. In this instance, the core element '71 is merely provided with an integral projecting end portion 76, which is attached to the terminal end of a stabilizing rod member 77, which in turn is maintained secure by the upstanding clamp 35, as shown in FIGURE 1.

The first in-line drum 15 may be provided along an intermediate portion thereof with means for applying air pressure to the rods R so that the rod R (in FIGURES 1 and 2) is stabilized as it engages the corresponding intermediate portion of the second in-line drum 2t), and further so that the rods R are controllably driven whereby the rod R is insured of reaching the proper final centered position. In the preferred embodiment illustrated, this feature takes the form of a series of suction apertures or ports 16p, 17p along said intermediate portion of the respective spiral grooves 16, 17 (note FIGURES 2, 3 and 5) communicating with a source of vacuum (not shown) via the pipe 73 and the header 74. The necessary communication to these ports 16p, 17p from the header 7 4 is provided by a localized and elongated slot 78 formed in the lower side of the core element 70 and preferably of such a width as to open one of the series of ports 16p, 17p positioned along the centerline of the drum 15, and thus the one which is embracing the rod at that particular time. Multiple passageways 79 are provided in the central portion of the core element 70 to provide a series of paths for the air on its way to the header 74 and the suction pipe 73, as indicated by the how arrows in FIGURE 5.

To regulate the amount of suction at the uncovered port 16p, 17p, a suitable adjustable valve 80 is provided along the suction tube 73, as shown in FIGURE 1. By thus adjusting the amount of suction at the ports 16p or 17p there is a tendency to increase or decrease the frictional driving relationship bet-ween the corresponding grooves 16, 17 so that the movement of the rod positioned at R into engagement with an intermediate portion of the grooves 21, 22 and into the final centered position at R can be regulated with extreme accuracy. In other words, as the rod is being driven from position at R to position at R by the spiral drums 15, 20, as shown in FIGURE 2, it can be made to move more to the right by increasing the vacuum and thus increasing the driving force of the operative grooves 16, 17 of the rotating drum 15, or, on the other hand, if the rod at R is desired to be stopped sooner, the valve 811 may be adjusted to provide less vacuum, and thus giving less driving force to the rotating drum whereby the rod at R assumes the centered position at the proper time. As best shown in FIGURE 1, the series of ports 16 17p are positioned along the intermediate portions of the grooves 16, 17, respectively, so as to terminate substantially at the point where the rods are finally centered at R and at this point the driving force of the drum 15, 20 equalizes and is thus canceled out as the rods R move toward the take off conveyor 13 by virtue of the combined spiraling action of the grooves 16, 17 and Z1, 22.

In FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings, there are illustrated a pair of centering guides 85, Sr: which are removably fixed to the feed table 11 by any suitable form of fastener, such as screws 87. These guides 85, as have corresponding leading portions 88, 89 that are operative to gently engage the adjacent end of the rods R and center the same if for some reason the rods R have not been perfectly centered in alignment with the belt 13 by the drums 15, 28, as set forth above. These guides 35, 86 are thus useful to provide a gentle pushing action on the ends of the rods R as a safety device in the event that the drums 15, it) do not properly perform their function.

In o eration, assuming that a supply of rods R is to be fed along the feed path P from the manufacturing machine after having been cut into a predetermined length; first, the proper size sprockets 4 5, 46 are selected to drive the spiral drums 15, 20 at a speed in which this length of rods R are properly withdrawn from the axial feed path P and moved from the position at R to the position at R without causing interference between the trailing end of the rod R and the leading end of the rod R The speed of rotation of the drums 15, 20 is, of course, also dependent upon the feed rate of the machine so that this factor must also be considered when selecting the proper operating speed of the drums 15, 20. It is noted that other conventional means may be used to vary the speed of the drums 15, 20, such as a variable speed drive, if a faster changeover of the catcher C is found to be desirable.

Secondly, and also before starting the machine, the mounting stock 25 is properly adjusted about the mounting bolt 32 so that the grooves are equally spaced from said feed table 11; it being understood that, with this feature the feed table 11 may be positioned on an incline or a decline, as well as horizontal, as shown. Now, the distance d between the grooves 16, 17, 21, 22 and the feed table 11 can be adjusted by means of the jack screw 41 (after the bolt 39 has been loosened) to be roughly the diameter of the rods R being operated on.

After the foregoing has been accomplished, the chain 55 is set in motion by actuation of the main sprocket 58 whereby the drive sprockets 45, 46 are set into rotatry motion in opposite directions. The spiral drums 15, 20 are at this point ready to receive the rods R from the machine and the final pressure adjustments between the grooves 16, 17, 21, 22 and the table 11 are ready to be made. To do this, the mounting bolt 39 is again loosened to free the mounting assembly 24 for the adjustable movement along the vertical plate 10 whereupon rotation of the jack screw 41 is now operative to adjust with more particularity the distance d for the proper frictional relationship to retard and stop the rods R in the centered position with respect to the conveyor 13. Thus, if the rod at R is found to be not centered but spaced slightly to the right, as indictaed by the dashed line outline R in FIGURE 2, an indication of too little retarding friction between the drums 15, 20 and the feed table 11 is given so that the jack screw 41 would be turned so as to lower the mounting assembly 24 thus causing a reduction in the distance d and an increase in gripping friction of the rods R whereupon the rod R should assume the new centered position, as indicated by the full lines in FIGURE 2. If, on the other hand, the rods are being retarded too much so that the rod at R assumes the position wherein the left-hand end is shy of the proper position, as indicated by the dotted line position at R then an indication is given that the rods are being embraced with an excessive amount of pressure thereby requiring the jack screw 41 to be rotated in the opposite direction to lift the mounting assembly 24 and the spiral drums 15, 20 thereby slightly increasing the distance d and decreasing the frictional resistance. Once theis adjustment has been made so that the rods R substantially .assume the aligned position at R the 9 adjustment is complete and the bolt 39 is tightened to lock the device in this position.

As indicated above, the first in-line drum may be provided with the suction apertures 16p, 17p and, if so, a final fine adjustment can be made by adjusting the valve 80 so as to vary the driving engagement between the rod R and said first in-line drum 15. Accordingly, if after the adjustment with the jack screw 41, the rod at R tends to be positioned to the right toward the dotted line position R a need for reduction in the driving force of the drum 15 is indicated so that a reduction in vacuum by adjustment of the valve 80 is effective to prevent the rod R from overrunning so that it now stops in the designated R position. Contrari'wise, if the rod R does not quite reach the centered position, as indicated by the dotted line position R then a slight increase in the driving engagement of the drum 15 with the rod R will supply the necessary driving engagement and bring the rods R into the full line centered position.

A special advantage is gained when using the catcher device C of the present invention with rods R of a length wherein the opposite ends of the rods R just engage but do not extend beyond the operative driving portions of the drums 15, 20 as schematically indicated in FIGURES 7a and 7b. In this case, the rotating drums 15, 2!) automatically compensate for any variance from the full line centered position at R in FIGURE 2. For example, as depicted in FIGURE 7a, if the rod R is in engagement with the drums 15, 20 so as to engage a greater driving area 90 of the grooves 21, 22 (drum 20) than driving area 91 of the grooves 16, 17 (drum 15), then due to the increased frictional drive afforded by the drum 20 the rod R is moved to the left until the drive areas 90, 91 on the two drums 15, 20 are equal, as depicted in FIGURE 7b. It can be seen that this action is complementary and that as a result the response of the correcting action is increased. As will be realized, this special centering action is accomplished when the driving areas 90, 91 are substantially equally spaced from each other at each operative position, which spacing is present in the preferred embodiment shown and described. That is, the drums 15, 20 are frustoconical in shape, as mentioned above, thereby rendering the remote sides of the drums 15, 20 parallel, which, in turn, renders the driving areas 90, 91 substantially parallel in the same plane or equidistant at all operative points along the lengths of the drums 15, 20.

The construction of the catcher device C of the invention is such that it is interchangeably adapted for either right or left-hand operation, which means that the rods R can be received and positioned with equal ease from either side. In other words, instead of receiving the rods R being fed from the left along the feed path P, as viewed in FIGURE 2, the catcher device C is well adapted to receive without modification, rods being fed from the right along an imaginary feed path, indicated by the dashed line arrow P. This feature is of great benefit to the user of the device of the invention since it allows him to standardize his operation with respect to the catchers C and the parts thereof. Furthermore, since the internal core elements 70, 71 are interchangeable, upon providing suitable vacuum ports (not shown) in the grooves 21, 22 and upon exchanging of the two cores 70, 71 and their supporting structure 73, 74 and 76, 77, respectively, suction means can be provided on the spiral drum 20 instead of spiral drum 15, if desired. Of course, in either the right or left-handed operation, it may be desirable to include suction means on 'both or either of the drums 15, 20 singly, whereby additional or selective adjustment capability may be gained.

The surface of the drums 15, 20 and the feed table 11 are preferably highly polished chrome surfaces which have been found to give the desired frictional properties when the grooves 16, 17, 21, 22 embrace the rods R. One advantage attendant to using a smooth surface with the drums 15, 2t constantly moving with respect to the rods R, lies in the fact that the moving coefiicient of friction between the surfaces is maintained substantially constant, thus giving predictable results and uniformity of centering of said rods R. It should be understood, however, that other types of surfaces could be used to give the desired frictional properties, such as a finely etched metal surface, if additional frictional resistance is desired, and Teflon coated surfaces, if less frictional resistance is desired.

As used herein, all terms referring to pressure engagement, frictional resistance, the distance between the surfaces are to be construed broadly so as to include not only the conditions wherein the rods R are separated from the surface of the drums 15, 20 and from the feed table 11 by a thin lubricating boundary layer of rapidly moving air induced in each case by the moving surface, and wherein there is substantially no relative movemen and thus substantially no separation, but also, any variant degree of these conditions encountered during any catching operation adapted to be performed by the catcher C of the invention. For example, when the catcher C is used with the older and slower machines having a conveyor belt (not shown) to feed the rods R to the lead portions L L of the drum 15, substantially no relative movement between the surface of the belt and the rod R is present and accordingly substantially no boundary layer of air or separation is present; whereas, on the other hand, with high-speed machines and wherein no belt is used, the rod R is literally skimming along the feed table 11 on a partial layer of air as it leaves the operative end of the machine. In either of the above cases, the catcher C has been shown to be unusually effective to catch the rods R and it is adapted to do so by merely regulating the distance d between the opposing surfaces of the feed table 11 and the drums 15, 29 and/or by regulating the air pressure at one of said surfaces, until the desired action takes place, as described above.

It will be realized that a compact and efficient catcher device C has been provided by the present invention having an improved catching action for controllably handling the rods R at an increased rate, which rods R may be of any length and traveling at any speed from the machine. Furthermore, this operation is carried out in such a manner as to prevent adverse or damaging effect to the cylindrical surface and the ends of the rods R, which has been a significant problem in the past.

In this disclosure, there is shown and described only the preferred embodiment of the invention, but, as aforementioned, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of various changes or modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed by the accompanying claims.

We claim:

1. A catcher for receiving elongated rods traveling axially along a path and positioning said rods sidewise in a row comprising a first rotary drum member, a spiral groove formed about the outer peripheral surface of said first member, said member extending transversely to said path at an angle such that the operative portion of the groove lying in the plane of said path is parallel to said path, the lead section of said groove being aligned to receive a rod traveling along said path, a second rotary drum member positioned adjacent to said first rotary drum member, a spiral groove formed about the outer peripheral surface of said second member, the spiral groove of said second member being of the same pitch but oppositely directed from the spiral groove of said first member, said second member being disposed transversely to said path at an angle to said first member and to said path such that the operative portion of the groove lying in the plane of said path is parallel to said path, the intermediate section of the groove in said second member bein aligned with the corresponding intermediate section of the groove in said first member to receive the rod, said members being positioned in side-by-side relationship,

stationary means to positively urge said rod into pressure contact with said grooves, and drive means for rotating said first and second rotary members in opposite directions at substantially equal speeds, whereby the axial movement of said rod is retarded and stopped by the frictional resistance afforded by said pressure contact of said rod with said grooves of said rotary members and said rod is moved laterally away from and parallel to said path by said rotar members to form said row.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein there is provided suction means along the intermediate section of the spiral groove of said first rotary member to aid in urging said rod into engagement with said second rotary member.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said first and second rotary members are frustoconical in shape, said members tapering inwardly toward said path at a taper angle equal to the angle between the axes of said rotary members whereby the remote sides of said rotary members are parallel.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein the taper angle of said members, the angle between the axes and the efiective pitch angle of said grooves are equal and are substantially 15.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said urging means comprises a horizontal feed table below and in opposed relationship to said members, the operative portions of said grooves of said rotary members being spaced from said feed table by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said rods.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said drive means includes first and second driven sprockets connected to said first and second rotary members, respectively, a driven chain moving over said first sprocket and under said second sprocket, a drive sprocket in engagement with said chain, and an adjustable idler sprocket in engagement with said chain whereby the tension in said chain may be regulated.

7. The combination of claim 5 wherein is further pro vided an endless conveyor moving in a direction perpendicular to said feed path for receiving said rods from said rotary members, said conveyor being positioned immediately adjacent the terminal end of said grooves in said rotary members whereby said rods are positively removed from said catcher.

8. The combination of claim 5 wherein said first and second rotary members are frustoconical in shape, said members tapering inwardly toward said path at a taper angle equal to the angle between the axes of said rotary members whereby the operative portions of said rotary members are substantially parallel, said operative portions being spaced from each other a distance substantially equal to the length of said rods whereby said rods overrunning said members in one direction are given proportionally increased driving force in the opposite direction thereby producing the required self-centering action.

9. The combination of claim 1 wherein said urging means includes a feed table positioned in opposed relationship to said grooves of said rotary members, and wherein is further provided adjustable means to support said first and second rotary members in predetermined spaced relationship with respect to said teed table whereby said pressure contact may be varied.

1d. The combination of claim 9 wherein said drive means further includes first and second drive shafts extending along the axes of said first and second rotary members, respectively, and rigid stabilizing means connected to the outer ends of said drive shafts, said stabilizing means being carried by said adjustable means whereby said spaced relationship is maintained constant along the length of said rotary members in any adjusted position.

11. A catcher for receiving elongated rods traveling axially along a path and positioning said rods sidewise in a row comprising a horizontal feed table defining said path, a pair of in-line helical worms disposed side by side above said feed table and extending transversely to said path, each of said worms having a spiral groove with operative portions thereof lying in the plane of said path and being relatively spaced from said feed table a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said rod, said worms being disposed at an angle to each other and transversely to said path such that said operative portions of said grooves extend parallel to said path, the groove of the first iu-line worm being aligned to receive a rod traveling along said path and to direct said rod into engagement with the groove of the second in-line worm, the pitch of said grooves being the same but oppositely directed, and drive means for rotating said worms in opposite directions at substantially equal speeds, whereby the axial movement of said rod is retarded and stopped by said worms and said rod is moved laterally from and parallel to said path by said worms to form said row.

12. The combination of claim 11 wherein the operative surfaces of said worms and said feed table are highly polished.

13. The combination of claim 11 wherein is further provided adjustable means to support said pair of worms with respect to said teed table whereby said distance may be set.

14. The combination of claim 11 wherein there is provided suction means along a section of said groove in said first worm to aid in directing said rod into engagement with the corresponding section of said second worm.

15. The combination of claim 14 wherein said first worm has a hollow axial chamber, said drive means includes a drive shaft connected to said first drum member and extending along said chamber, and said suction means comprises a series of apertures along the surface of said intermediate section of said groove, a stationary core element housed in said chamber and rotatably mounted with respect to said shaft, said core element having an elongated passageway for successive alignment with the aperture of said series occupying the operative portion of said section of said groove, and a stationary vacuum pipe connected to said core element and communicating with said passageway to stabilize said drive shaft and to provide vacuum to said apertures.

16. A catcher for receiving elongated rods traveling axially along a path and positioning said rods sidewise in a row comprising a pair of in-line helical worms intersecting said path, said worms being positioned in side-byside relationship and disposed at an angle to each other and transversely to said path such that the operative portions of said worms are lying in the plane of said path and are parallel to said path, the first in-line worm being aligned to receive a rod traveling along said path and to direct said rod into engagement with the second in-line worm, the pitch of said worms being oppositely directed, stationary means to positively urge said rod into pressure contact with said grooves, and drive means for rotating said worms in opposite directions at substantially equal speeds, whereby the axial movement of said rod is retarded and stopped by the frictional resistance atforded by said pressure contact of said rod with said grooves of said worms and said rod is moved laterally from and parallel to said path by said worms to form said row.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 874,422 12/1907 Norton l98213 XR 2,109,148 2/1938 Gwinn 198-25 2,980,237 4/1961 McCloy 1982l3 3,235,060 2/1966 Gamberini l98-25 XR EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

R. J. HICKEY, Assistant Examiner. 

